I think part of why Hong Gil Dong feels different from the average drama (apart from aesthetic, i.e. the fusion aspect) is because it’s a different type of story: a hero’s quest. Kdramas usually fall into one of several categories: romantic comedy, melodrama, family drama, action/thriller, historical. But a hero’s journey is structured differently; early forms include ancient Greek myths (The Odyssey) or the knights errant of medieval times. Something about the drama even reminds me of the bawdy Tom Jones (a low-born, rascally hero lives in a corrupt society, goes on a journey, comes into his own), especially since it’s got a (mildly) burlesque sense of humor. Hong Gil Dong fuses comic-book exaggeration with the hero’s tale, and seems to fit neatly into the definition of a monomyth (see also: picaresque). Sorry for going all highbrow on you for a moment.

Will the particular style be successful? I don’t know. The over-the-top quality isn’t my favorite — I like my humor sharp and edgy, not broad and loopy — but I’m willing to give the series a chance to work with its bold choice. Since a hero’s tale is (duh) more about the hero’s development than anything else, at least on that score I have faith in Kang Ji Hwan.

Now, this all sounds like some kind of extravagant defense, but I don’t mean it that way. I’m not blind to its flaws, but I’m letting them slide for now. Apparently the folks at soompi hated the first episode; I haven’t read the comments so I don’t really know what the complaints are. If you don’t like the series, that’s your right. As for me, I think Hong Gil Dong is going to be great fun — either as a decent series or awesome snark-bait. Either way, I’m entertained.

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EPISODE 2 SUMMARY

Episode 1 ended with Enok being rescued by Gil Dong from In Hyung (Gil Dong’s older half-brother). Episode 2 starts by showing us why Gil Dong was at the club — enthusiastically ogling the techno-dancing babes, of course.

Seeing Enok in trouble, he jumps in and grabs her, and the two run away. In Hyung chases with his men, and Chang Whe and Chisu (bodyguard) follow stealthily behind, looking for a chance to reclaim the queen’s hairpin that Enok found.

They escape successfully, and Gil Dong leads them to a nearby temple, whose graveyard for thieves (which Gil Dong had been digging previously) creeps Enok out.

At home, In Hyung is fussed over by his mother while whimpering like a sissy. He’s petulant over being thwarted by Gil Dong, which is seemingly a common occurrence. (Though I’d bet it’s not that difficult to thwart In Hyung. Boy’s not exactly the sharpest knife in the drawer.) His mother frets over In Hyung’s upcoming civil service exam — he whines that he wishes he’d broken his hand so he wouldn’t have to take it. He begs her not to tell his father about this, but his father overhears, and turns away in bitter disappointment. In case we couldn’t connect the dots ourselves, the father thinks of his capable other son, and sighs that if it weren’t for Gil Dong, his legitimate son wouldn’t look so hopeless in comparison.

(And I say, poor little rich nobleman. Like it’s Gil Dong’s fault you couldn’t keep it in your pants and had to father a bastard child who’s unable to show the world how capable he is precisely because you couldn’t keep it in your pants.)

Meanwhile, a beggar draws the notice of the elegantly dressed Court Lady Noh (I’ll call her Lady Noh to keep it short), the servant who obeyed the queen’s orders and saved Chang Whe’s life when he was a child. I’m curious to see what they do with her, because she seems evil and calculating, but she’s also fiercely loyal to Chang Whe, which means she can’t be ALL bad. Or can she? In any case, she sees through his façade as a beggar and identifies him as the leader of a band of thieves.

Lady Noh has been tracking him, and heard he’s planning a large raid. She tells him to cancel it and work for her instead. He’s heard she’s amassing skilled fighters — is she building some kind of army? — and guesses that she’s working for a hidden boss. She maintains her cool when he rejects her proposal — but the bandit leader finds himself suddenly locked away and gassed. He breaks out, only to be confronted with her swordsmen, who chase him into the forest.

At the temple, Enok confesses she’s not so great at Chinese, to which Gil Dong answers that she’d better know enough to teach him. After all, that’s why he saved her.

Enok: “You only saved me because of Chinese lessons?”Gil Dong: “I sold all that medicine for you too. If you die now, it’s such a waste of my time.”Enok: “No way, you would’ve saved me even without the Chinese lessons. Why? Because you’re a good guy.”Gil Dong (oh so cheerfully): “Nope. If it weren’t for the Chinese, I wouldn’t have saved you. Why? Because I’m a jerk.”

Their conversation takes a weird left turn when they debate whether Chinese ghosts are scarier than homegrown Korean ones. Enok describes a zombie-like Chinese ghost; Gil Dong dismisses her, saying the Korean ghost is scarier. Who’d win in a fight?

I have to admit this sequence made me laugh out loud. At first it’s silly, but as they draw it out it becomes stupider and stupider until at one point it actually circles back round to become funny. Especially when the zombie bounces around on land while the ghost flies in the air above it — neither able to attack the other. HAHA.

Meanwhile, the thief is mortally wounded by Lady Noh’s guards. Gil Dong senses something strange and heads out to the woods, where he finds the injured man, left for dead. (The drama seems to be hinting at the “destined to be a hero” theme, with the priest’s belief that Gil Dong is a hero, and Gil Dong’s ability to sense the thief’s trouble.)

The dying man (who mentions the priest Hae Myung’s name) manages to gargle out a final, insistent message: his band of thieves is planning to meet in two days in the woods. Gil Dong MUST warn them to run away, or they’ll die. And then he dies. (Not very convincingly, might I add.)

Gil Dong buries the man in the thieves’ graveyard, and Enok surprises Gil Dong by crying over the man’s death. Gil Dong turns to another grave, identifying it as his mother’s. Knowing that she couldn’t bring up her illegitimate child in Seoul, she attempted to run away, but died shortly after he was born. He muses that if she hadn’t had him, she’d still be alive now.

Gil Dong pats his mother’s grave softly, and Enok, now crying over how sad HIS life was, pats him in consolation. It’s cute.

She tells him she’ll give him a moment alone, and leaves him to his privacy… and then promptly ruins the moment by tripping as he watches.

Hae Myung and Grandpa come across each other in the forest, both on the way to the temple. Grandpa recognizes Hae Myung as Gil Dong’s priest, and they engage in a sort of battle for superiority as they head to the temple. They speed their walks to outpace the other until both arrive out of breath. Ah, silly old men. I guess testosterone never dies down.

There, Enok greets them, and has a chat with Hae Myung about the thief who died last night. He’s delighted to hear that the thief passed along his leader’s scepter to Gil Dong, and says, “I guess it found its way to its rightful owner!”

However, Gil Dong has no intention of fulfilling the dead thief leader’s request: “Sorry, I’m about to run away anyway. You picked the wrong guy.”

Now we meet SEO YOON SEOB, a high-ranking government official (who’s exceedingly proud of himself for being so important and powerful), who shows off his new Chinese-style rickshaw to In Hyung’s mother, Lady Kim (Korean women keep their maiden names upon marriage). Seo’s daughter EUN HYE and In Hyung are to be married once In Hyung passes his civil service exam. Nervous at the mention of the exam, Lady Kim tests Seo, asking if the kids could be married even if In Hyung were to fail; Seo doesn’t like that.

Outside the Seo residence, In Hyung steals a glimpse of his beloved future wife, Eun Hye. Outwardly composed, Eun Hye has a macabre streak that frightens her elderly nanny. Seeing one of a pair of lovebirds dead in its cage, she wonders, will the living bird die without its soulmate? “Let’s see what happens. Does it want to live, or die? If it eats because it wants to live, I’ll kill this one too.”

She sprinkles food in the cage, and when the bird eats, Eun Hye smiles maliciously: “So this guy has no loyalty.” She grabs the bird and squeezes it tightly in her fist, ready to crush it — and then flings it out the window to fly away. Laughing, Eun Hye tells her shocked nanny, “Of course it wants to live. … It’s all so obvious. It would’ve been better if it died. How boring.”

Eun Hye’s quite an interesting character, especially paired with a weak nobleman like In Hyung. I see shades of Lady Macbeth… and maybe crazy Ophelia too.

Since Gil Dong is planning to leave for China soon, it’s time for the reluctantly-married couple to part ways. Nice to see that old-fashioned marriages had about as much significance as contemporary ones. Enok teaches him the Chinese words for “father” and “brother,” telling him that when he feels frustrated over not being able to call his family Father and Brother (because of his bastard status), he can use the Chinese words.

Enok decides to gift him with a special performance of her new get-rich-quick scheme, snake-charming. She plays the flute (?), and the snake slowly dances up, in a weirdly jokey sequence. Let’s just say, Bollywood this is NOT.

But the snake has a less-than-cheery effect on Gil Dong, who freaks out and crushes it, throwing it away. And just like that, Enok’s dreams of raking in cash with the performing snake are dashed, and she reacts in a fury. Gil Dong runs away to escape her rage.

Gil Dong feels pangs of guilt over killing the snake, now realizing (since Enok is shouting it all over the countryside) what it was meant for, and asks the merchant Mr. Wang if dancing snakes truly exist. He also finds out that the next boat for China leaves in the morning and remembers the thief leader’s plea — if he takes the boat, he won’t be able to warn the band of thieves.

Enok’s grandfather mentions the handsome man in the bamboo hat who’s been following her around, and Enok automatically assumes that Chang Whe must be interested in her. (Oh, honey no.) Therefore when she runs into him again in the village, she’s embarrassed and coy, alluding to how he must like her.

Just as she’s about to make a total fool of herself, a young boy snatches her coin purse and runs. Enok chases him through the slums, but is struck with pity to see the boy living in a shack with sick and hungry kids. Calmed by sympathy, she carries the boy’s sick younger brother to get treatment, and gives him her hairpin, telling him to sell it and feed his kid brother. All the while, Chang Whe watches from a distance and notes her act of kindness — his usual sneer softening a bit — and instructs Chisu to buy the hairpin from the boy.

In the palace, alone on his throne, Chang Whe’s brother, KWANG WHE, imagines the ghosts of all those he’s trampled over to ascend the throne. He reacts in a mix of exultation and deep-seated grief as all the ghosts fade into one — young Chang Whe. The boy’s ghost calls to Kwang Whe, and he cries, “I didn’t want to kill you.”

Gil Dong drops by home to bid farewell to his father, but keeps his distance by staying outside. He therefore pays tribute to the man’s shadow instead, bowing his respects. Remembering Enok’s instructions, he tries saying the Chinese word for “father” — it’s awkward and he’s uncomfortable, but he says it.

The next morning, on his way to the docks, he notices the king’s men in the village and hears whisperings that there’s going to be trouble. He remembers the thief leader’s dying request uneasily… but shoves it aside as none of his business.

Mr. Wang delivers a bag of money to Enok — payment from Gil Dong for the snake he killed — and Enok feels sorry for him when she realizes Gil Dong is leaving his home country without anyone to send him off. Or so that’s her excuse to rush to the pier to catch Gil Dong before he leaves; she shouts after the departing boat: “Bye, Gil Dong! Go to China and learn lots of Chinese! See the Chinese ghost! And the dancing snake! Gil Dong, thank you!”

At the designated meeting spot in the forest, the group of bandits waits for their leader, not knowing he’s dead. You may recognize the two leaders (the quick-witted woman on the left; the wannabe Casanova on the right) from the opening attack sequence in Episode 1.

Alert and suspicious at Gil Dong’s arrival, they don’t believe Gil Dong’s warning to stay away. All the while, the king’s men are approaching en masse to take out the gang.

But, the moment he shows them the thief leader’s gold-tipped staff, they realize he must be telling the truth as he tells them to listen to him if they don’t want to die.

Additional thoughts:

Despite being able to gloss over most of the show’s flaws, one thing I can’t overlook are the awful costumes — they’re so cheap! I get that this production probably didn’t have as much money thrown at it as, say, Jumong or Legend, but sometimes the low production value is too obvious to ignore. It’s hard to take the characters seriously when they look like employees at an Asian version of Disneyland who decided to film a TV show in between breaks acting in the Main Street Electrical Parade and the Ice Capades.

innnnteresting… i remember you really liking the costumes originally, but i guess they look better in still frames. i was awaiting the introduction of the “second lead” eun hye, but here she is… and an interesting character at that.

i find myself curious to see how the series will continue, especially since it’s supposedly a 24-episode run.

Nice recap! I can’t wait to watch it! I’m not sure who Tom Jones is, maybe I’ll have to check out the movie/book etc… Hold on, I wikied him… Interesting movie… I’m fond of old movies even though my sisters feel like pulling my hair out when I watch them…haha…Anyways, so that’s how HGD becomes the bandit leader? That wannabe casanova line made me laugh! I thought the costumes looked okay for the main characters… A bit gaudy but maybe they wear better stuff later on… But it suits the wackiness of the show at the moment…(lol..)

Thanks for the recap! I’m really enjoying HGD – it makes me laugh, spunky female leads are always great. And you’re right about the costumes – they’re vaguely Power Ranger-ish, but it’s all in good fun.

has anyone seen the BBC’s new Robin Hood series? (It just finished it’s second season). This show kind of reminds me of a BETTER version of that show, or what they had hoped to accomplish. RH has this campy sort of fusion aspect with modern references, political correctness (ok, I’m sorry but seriously it’s just not historically accurate), and “hip” costumes, though it comes off WAY way way worse and just obnoxious. I like HGD better because at least it makes fun of itself. But seriously, I had major deja vu

“but sometimes the low production value is too obvious to ignore. It’s hard to take the characters seriously when they look like employees at an Asian version of Disneyland who decided to film a TV show in between breaks acting in the Main Street Electrical Parade and the Ice Capades.”

That was so freaking hilarious, I read the summary and them BAM!! Your choice of description was just great humor!!

Ah, yes, Tom Jones! Have you seen the Max Beesley version? What a romp!

The thief’s dying scene had me LMAO with his gurgling. What is just me, or were they spoofing traditional sageuks where anyone who gets sliced/stabbed with a sword somehow miraculously ends up with blood coming out of their mouth regardless of where they’re wounded? I always wondered how that was medically possible.

As for me, I’ve been thoroughly entertained thus far and am eagerly anticipating the next episodes AND your ever-fun & entertaining recaps.

yeah this show reminds me of chinese dramas…
I don’t find it all that horrible. (apart from some overacting, mostly from Sung Yuri) I’m watching it with a light heart and i found it entertaining. But maybe it is less horrible for me as I do not understand the language. When I watch HK dramas (my mother language) I find them irritating and low class. Anyway thanks for the recaps, and I do hope you will continue on this.

When I watched the weird flute playing sequence my thoughts were “Wtf? Is this Bollywood?!”
It reminded me of this new Bollywood film, Om Shanti Om…
I felt I had deja vu because the style of the flute seqence and the film were so similar. However, it was really hilarious.

thanks for the recap Javabeans…i like second epi better than the first episode…although both of them was so funny and i was entertained, the wierd camera angles in first episode was distracting to me…looking forward to the next episode.

#10, #20: Wasn’t Lady Noh also one of the cleaning ladies in Air City? (the one who goes to France, thinking her property was going to sell for mega bucks/er..Won)

#13 Carl: I don’t know if “chi” is the case in Korean dramas. I just always found it funny that blood-in-mouth = dying vs. no-blood-in-mouth = going to survive. And in this episode, they took it up a notch to another hilarious level.

#17 Binaa: Although javabeans does indeed write excellent summaries, don’t miss out on watching the series, too, if only to catch Kang Ji Hwan’s great acting.

I like the chemistry between Kang Ji Hwan and Sung Yuri. They bounced off each other well. Episode 2 was an interesting combo of hits and misses, but is more focused than the first one. The story is moving along nicely. There were a few nice moments by the two leads, alone and together. Some other moments were just plain huh? I’m a sucker for the bickering antagonistic will-he-won’t-she romance, so I’m amused so far by their antics. It seems like things are not really gelling at this point. I could do without the bathroom jokes, ghost stories, blood-gurgling-die-already-would-ya scenes, etc… I agree with many comments above regarding the familiar Chinese drama elements; perhaps “fusion” in more ways than just modernizing sageuk? Gil Dong and Enok’s costumes are ok. The bandits’ outfits, however, did look like something made from a home ec class. **Sigh** I wish that the comical scenes are a bit more clever and purposeful than just outright farcical.

Even if Hong Gil Dong turns out to be a snark-fest (which I truly don’t think that it will – am just waiting for it to turn the corner), I would still enjoy the series for the superficial reason of seeing KJH on screen. And secondly, definitely for the chance to read your ever so witty and no holds barrel commentaries.

First things first, Happy New Year to everyone and especially to Javabean, who makes any and every year so enjoyable for us, KDrama fans.
Now, on to HGD, I’ve just finished watching the first episode and liked it very much. Since I accepted the show as somewhat tongue-in-cheek, it was easier for me to overlook the not so witty humor, the fusion flavor and as tealeaf so rightly described it, the “home-ec” costumes. Emotionally for me, I found the first episode to be like a pendulum swinging back and forth. One maximum point of the pendulum swing was light, fun and campy. As evidenced by the singing, dancing, cabaret floor show, etc. The opposite point was dark, serious and ugly. As evidenced by the slum outside the city wall and the incident by the river. To me, this episode emphasized the disparities and absurdities in society . I’m looking forward to the rest of the show.
On a side note, I also watched the first episode of “Robbers”. Lee Da Hae’s situation(s) had me in stitches. It’ll be interesting to see where this drama takes us.

despite everything, i really like this drama and im hooked already. maybe b/c there is a lack of other good dramas to compare it to (except for robber). i didn’t really notice the costumes or anything like that .. i was too busy being amused by the drama itself.
Anyways, i like reading your recaps and opinions! Thanks!

btw#9 Blake: i noe what you mean! i had to read joseph campbell’s a hero with a thousand faces for ap lit…. lol the archetypal hero

thank you. I come to read the summaries not for the sake of reading summaries, but for your comments on the show. The observations are interesting, your comments funny. I came for the summaries and stayed for the wit. so thank you.

“It’s hard to take the characters seriously when they look like employees at an Asian version of Disneyland who decided to film a TV show in between breaks acting in the Main Street Electrical Parade and the Ice Capades.”

I think the characters really become themselves in this episode. Very interesting…And I’m seriously looking forward to ep 3…Chang We!!! (Yes, I’m a huge fan of him and his pretty boy looks) and though I know it can not be with Yin Nok, I still really look forward to the scenes with them…(I have a feeling a triangle shall appear.)

My cousin said that SHE thinks it’s more likely that Eun Hye will be with Chang We. You sure she’ll get paired up with In-Hyung? The writers are probably going to throw in some funny scenes with them but I don’t think Eun Hye will end up with that pathetic guy….My cousin mentioned something about her having the characteristics of a queen…Cruel, resolute, but in a way, compassionate? But it’s too early to tell.

I’m really REALLY enjoying it. Though I have to admit, I rather like the drama aspect of it more, with a dash of humor (that doesn’t go over the top with comedy /silliness that it sometimes does.) Hope the story keeps it about this light. It’s pretty nice.

To #20: Thanks for answering! I thought that was them!
To #23: I believe so! But, to be honest, I haven’t really watched enough of “Air City” to know ^^; I think I stopped at episode 3.. It kinda went downhill from there for me.. =U=”

All in all though, both of them are really good actors! It’s nice to see them in another drama written by the Hong sisters. They were so funny in the other ones xD

HAHA xD I’ve managed to watch this episode on KBS WORLD I commend KBS for creating a drama that’s steers away from the usual childhood-friends-turned-lovers-where-in-one-would-die-in-the-end-because-of-some-in-born-illness plot. AH ~ :p You get what I mean. Now that’s over with xD

WAH ~ :3 I AM SO LOVING THIS SERIES ^^.

The comical and sometimes over-exaggerated expressions ARE SO WORKING FOR ME :)) They make me laugh out so loud. The Bollywood-like scene was funny, but the Chinese vs Korean ghost scene was HILARIOUS xD lmfao.

I’m starting to love this series. This is such a refreshing change from Cruel Love (also on KBS), which I’m also currently watching. Nonetheless, they both have their own flare to which I am forever bound to ^^. Or maybe I just like dramas, I dunno.

So I’ve finally jumped on the HGD bandwagon!
And I actually thought of Macbeth too, both with the king and Eunhye. By the way, those aren’t lovebirds, but parakeets, or more specifically, budgerigars. I kinda freaked out during that scene because 1) was that really a dead bird in there? it looked like it! and 2) I used to have a budgerigar and was devastated when it died… It was my first “experience” with death, so yeah… 충격.

And I actually didn’t notice the cheap costumes! Interesting. In another more high-budget 사극 though, (I think it was 주몽? Not sure…), I was really bugged out because the women would wear really really modern jewelry. I’m pretty sure women didn’t wear the dangly fish-hook earrings from macy’s back then.

thanks for leaving the recap
I have seen several of the subsequential episodes already, and I’m totally hooked. It’s very emotional when you get to like the 3rd and 4th episodes.
I’m really enjoying Hong Gil Dong.
Thank you again.

wow, this series is even better to watch than your recaps. (sorry javabeans) you get a better sense with the pacing, whereas the recaps sometimes seem a little disjointed, which is inevitable. hey, but it can’t beat your snarkiness. keke.

I like Sung Yuri. She kind of reminds me of Lee Dae Hee with her cuteness and mannerisms. She’s also able to show a much broader range in her acting than her “princess” role in Snow Queen which was limited.

Chang Whe is also growing on me as he has matured from a teenager into a young man since his role in Hwang Jini. Everybody’s right, he is kind of attractive in a modern hip way. However, Kang Ji Hwan still takes the Mr. Hotness award for me.

Hi,
I am currently watching Hong Gil Dong online at mysoju.com.
But, it’s very blury and a hard to watch.
Your pictures though, are very perfect and clear!
Can you please show me the site where you watched Hong Gil Dong online with full HD?
Thanks! Please relpy!

i started watching HGD last year. I am a great fan of KGH and i really love this drama. I don’t care if the costume is cheap (i’m not a korean anyway, so i don’t know much of how it is supposed to be). But this drama really entertains me besides having a social relevance in the story. Actually, i have watched it maybe 5 times already and i never got tired of it ( just like goong). KGH is my number one Korean actor, and JGS and SYR has become my favorite, too. I wish even if it is already 2013, dramabeans may still read this comment. Also i don’t care really of how they deliver their dialogue because i’m only reading the english subtitle. Thank you dramabeans, i always look at your site everytime i have a korean drama to watch because sometimes i cannot understand the english sub.